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[Lxw]

Maybe people have reasons for taking a job at the PTO instead of going straight into law school...like taking some time off between school to unwind from undergrad, or making money, or getting exposure to patent law.

Anyways, for some perspective, out of this lab of 14 people, 1 person is applying to LS, 1 person is studying the LSAT so he can apply to LS, and another will probably be leaving mid-summer to enroll in LS.  I don't think short-term cost is an serious impediment.

[bald & chained]

I'm sure with a little time devotion studying the LSAT, the average examiner could get a sizable scholarship from a pretty good law school, anyway.

O really?  It takes a combo of high gpa/lsat to get $$$ from law schools. And in my experience, the average examiner is pretty "average," at least in the predictable art units.  I will probably over-generalize here, but I think that most people who go to the PTO straight out of engineering undergrad (especially CS/EE majors) usually don't have better options, such as engineering jobs. Yes, sure, some people want to become patent lawyers (and they soon jump the PTO to go to firms/law school), but the rest simply took the PTO job because they couldn't find anything in the industry.  That means that they weren't great students in the first place - so no law school $$$.   I went to the PTO from a private industry for a year or two to get patent experience, but I was simply shocked by the level of mediocrity in my art unit back in 2003-2004.  Maybe things have changed, but back then, the turn-over was about 50% and the only people who stayed were the recent grads who didn't know any better and wouldn't land a job in the industry anyways.  Last time I checked the employee locator in the PTO, most of these guys are still there, which figures.

As for going to law school from the PTO - you pretty much have to, if you want to leave the PTO and searching behind.  If you don't go to law school, what are your other options? You can stay and build a career within the PTO (good for some, but bad for most of us).  After a year or two there, you become untouchable to the engineering places anyways, unless you've had some prior experience.  Or you can go to a firm and that requires a law degree, unless you want to be a permanent agent/searcher, in which case you might be better off staying in the PTO in the first place.  So yeah, if you have ambitions for a career in IP outside of the PTO, you pretty much have to go to law school.  Just my 2 cents.

[Lxw]

O really?  It takes a combo of high gpa/lsat to get $$$ from law schools.

Nah, just a high LSAT.  You need both if you want to get money from like, Berkeley or Virginia on up.  But for the rest of the schools in the top50, even top25, as long as your LSAT is above their 75th percentile median, you will probably be given some money with that acceptance.  I'm not pulling this out of my ass--I'm speaking from personal experience, the experience of other students I know, and lawschoolnumbers.com

I agree with you that some people here aren't cut out for law school, though.  My perception is probably skewed towards the people I associate with here.  But nonetheless, most recent grads here were hired as a GS-7 so they have at least a 3.0 gpa.  I wouldn't call that stinking of mediocrity.

[Ordinary skill]

...Or you can go to a firm and that requires a law degree, unless you want to be a permanent agent/searcher, in which case you might be better off staying in the PTO in the first place.  So yeah, if you have ambitions for a career in IP outside of the PTO, you pretty much have to go to law school.  Just my 2 cents.

Why would a potential patent agent/tech specialist be better off in the PTO? Seems like many examiners often choose to leave the PTO in favor of agent positions, although these gigs will be hard to find in today's economy.

[Lxw]

Because the salaries for a patent agent vs a primary are about the same, and it's a less stressful job at the pto, so I would think.

[bald & chained]

Why would a potential patent agent/tech specialist be better off in the PTO? Seems like many examiners often choose to leave the PTO in favor of agent positions, although these gigs will be hard to find in today's economy.

I don't think patent agents make that much more $ than experienced patent examiners, who could get up to 130K+.  And a permanent patent agent (i.e., someone who isn't going or planning to attend law school) in a typical large law firm will always be a second class citizen to lawyers, even younger associates.  So if you go to a one of these 50+ people patent firms in DC, you should really consider getting a law degree if you plan on making a career out of it.